Metallic leaf with flexible backing



June 23, 1936. D. D. SWIFT ET AL 2,044,922

METALLIC LEAF WITH FLEXIBLE BACKING Filed Nov. 30, 1954 raven-2 o Patented June 23, 1936 1 UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFICE 2,044,922 METALLIC LE AF WITH FLEXIBLE BACKING Donald D. Swift, Hartford, and Harold E. Roberton, East Hartford, Conn., assignors to M. Swift & Sons, Incorporated, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application November 30, 1934, Serial No. 755,322 4 Claims. (Cl. 154-46) Our present invention relates to an improved heat, and thus prevent the obtaining of a cleangold or metallic leaf, sheet or ribbon, for use in out impression. It is a further object of our inthe imprinting of leather, textile materials and vention to provide a flexible backing which rethe like. tains or possesses a substantial amount of ab- 5 In applying metallic leaf to a surface, the latter sorbent qualities to compensate for this running 5 is sized and embossed, and the metallic leaf is tendency. deposited thereon, or the metallic leaf is pressed With the above and other objects and advaninto the sized work, and the pressed design is then tageous features in View, to which reference will shed, the applying dies being preferably hereinafter be made, our invention consists of a heated. novel method of manufacture and a novel metallic 10 The extension of metallic leaf application'to leaf pro uct ta d y, mo mm dedifferent materials, and particularly artificial and scribed in the detailed description following, in imitation leathers, has encountered difficulty beconjunction with the ac ompa y g d w d cause of the nature of the surface. Thus, certain m re specifically defined in the appended claims.

- imitation leathers are thin and flexible, permitn the d a 15 ting bending and stretching when in use, and this 1 s a perspective View of a strip or ribbon bending and stretching produces a cracking or of metallic leaf made in accordance with the flaking off of the metallic leaf. Moreover, cerinvention;

tain types of materials have surfacev irregularities 2 S an e a d d ta lwhich must be completely flattened out in order In m n f t r h n l p d a ri r 20 to provide a proper base for receiving the metallic Strip l of Pap aluminum, o he Suitable leaf. This flattening out is particularly difficult mat r al is p v d, elassine pap in pr when the irregularities are large, as for example e ed, nd a coating 2 0f releaeable C p n with buckram. I is placed on the face thereof, the preferred mate-- as It has heretofore been proposed to provide filler i l be n a w x u as be wax, which h s both material as a base for the metallic leaf, by utillzad r ng and burn s ng qu lities- Upon t is ing a coating of an intimate mixture of sizing and coating a layer 3 of metallic leaf such as gold is a filler material as an integral part of a metallic pp a d a final Coat a is placed 011 t ay leaf product. This addition of a filler material the final coat consisting of a suitable filler matewhich is intimately mixed with sizing does not, rial 5 which is bonded together with a guru ii that 30 however, provide an elastic or flexible base for becomes plastic under heat. The filler material the metallic leaf, as the filler material remains in is pr erably a comminuted substance ap l suspension in the sizing and the application of of being crushed to extreme fineness, and of such heat during the impressing of the metallic leaf nature that it will not stick through the thin liquefies the sizing and causes the sizing to exude metallic leaf or act as an abrasive with respect 35 around the edges of the die, thus defacing the thereto; although various types of materials may edges of the ornamentation. be used, such as clays and metallic oxides in com- We have therefore devised a metallic leaf prodminuted form, it has been found that titanium not with a backing which becomes plastic under oxide or ochre are very suitable for the described 40 heat, rather than liquid, thus retaining its form, purpose. These materials, when bonded together and which after application to the work is elastic with a small amount of an adhesive such as rubso that the imprinted surface may be bent or her cement, or'sizing such as French varnish, bestretched to a substantial degree without cracking come elastic sheets or layers, instead of suspenor flaking off the metallic leaf. Moreover, the sions of filler material in sizing, the adhesive fillnovel backing bends or stretches to conform to ing the interstices between the comminuted 45 any irregularities in the surface of the impressed particles. material, thus increasing attaching contact with The backing resulting from the mixture of fillthe surface, and at the same time accommodating er and bonding material described is a flexible itself to the irregularities thereof so as to obtain monolithic sheet, which is elastic and therefore so a. smooth final impression. It is an important conforms to irregularities in the surface of the object of our invention to provide an elastic backimpressed material, which does not become liquid ing for a metallic leaf. under heat and pressure and therefore does not Artificial and imitation leathers are usually imexude around the edges of the die and instead pregnated with pigments and filler material which maintains its solid form, and in addition retains have a tendency to run upon the application of a very large percentage of its absorbent qualities 55 thus permitting and facilitating the application of metallic leaf to artificial and natural leathers and other materials having surfaces possessing a tendency to run. The backing thus becomes a to be imprinted, impressing heat I and pressure is applied, and-retains its form and Although filler material has been intimately mixed with sizing heretofore, the filler has been in relatively minor proportion, and has remained suspended in coating as the The described flexible backing is not a suspension of filler in sizing, and instead is a sheet of relatively solid form, obtained by bonding a large mass of suitable filler with suflicient sizing or cementitious material to obtain a plastic monolithic sheet.

The advantageous results produced by the novel product include a better effect because an improved base for receiving the metallic leaf, is

provided, which becomes tacky rather than fluid when the impressing heat is applied; a higher burnishing temperature may be used, and a more clean cut impression is obtained because the elastic or plastic sheet backing retains its form during the application of metallic. leaf, does not exude around the. edges of the die, and spreads so as to conform to irregularities of the mate- I the sizing or has become a surface sizing volatiles have evaporated."

due to the limited amount of bonding material,

rial impressed; a flexible base is thus provided for the impressed metallic leaf which permits a substantial bending and stretching of the imprinted material without breakage of the metallic leaf surface.

While we have described a specific constructional embodiment of our invention, it is obvious that desired changes in the materials used for the metallic leaf, for the releasable composition and for the filler and its bonding agent may be made, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a metallic leaf sheet having a carrier strip, a coat of releasable composition thereon, anda layer of metallic leaf on said coat, a flexible backing on said layer consisting of a plastic sheet formed of a mass of comminuted filler particles which are bonded together with an adhesive.

2. In a gold leaf sheet having a carrier strip, a coat of releasable composition thereon, and a layer of gold leaf on said coat, a flexible backing on said layer consisting of a plastic sheet formed of a mass of comminuted filler particles which are bonded together with an adhesive, the comminuted flller particles being of a color substantially that of the gold leaf.

3. In a gold leaf sheet having a coat of releasable composition thereon, and a layer of gold leaf on said coat, a flexible backing .on said layer consisting of a plastic sheet formed of a mass of comminuted particles of titanium oxide which are bonded together by anadhesive. 4. In a gold leaf sheet having a carrier strip, a coat of releasable composition thereon, and a layer of gold leaf on said coat, a flexible backing on said layer consisting of a plastic sheet formed of a mass of comminuted particles of yellow ochre which are bonded together by an adhesive.

' DONALD D. SWIFT.

HAROLD E. ROBERTON.

a carrier strip, 

